The invention relates to a differential drive, especially for motor vehicles, with a rotatably driven differential housing supported in a housing. The drive has two driving bevel gears equi-axially arranged and rotatably supported in the differential housing. At least two differential bevel gears engage the driving bevel gears and are rotatably supported at the differential housing around a rotational axis, which intersects the rotational axis of the driving bevel gears at a right angle. Also included is means for arranging a viscous coupling next to the differential housing. The viscous coupling includes a coupling housing and a hub which are arranged coaxially around one another and rotatably relative to one another. An operating chamber is formed between the coupling housing and hub. Radially overlapping outer plates and inner plates, in a certain sequence, are non-rotatably associated with the coupling housing and the hub within the operating chamber. The remaining part of the operating chamber is at least partially filled with a highly viscous medium especially silicone oil. The viscous coupling may be arranged between the differential housing and a driving bevel gear, with the coupling housing of the viscous coupling connectable to the differential housing and its hub connected by a driving bevel gear and coupling means.
A differential drive is described in unexamined patent application DE 41 03 054 A1, published Aug. 14, 1991. The viscous coupling is arranged next to the drive housing of the differential drive. To reduce vibrations, the viscous coupling with its housing, on the one hand, is supported in the drive housing which accommodates the differential drive and, on the other hand, in a holding member which is secured to the vehicle body.
Furthermore, it is known to integrate the viscous coupling into the drive housing of the differential drive. With such an embodiment, the type of vehicle, depending on whether or not it includes a viscous coupling, requires a different drive housing to accommodate the viscous coupling.